Global Security Newswire

The United States and Latvia signed an agreement yesterday to allow the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to remove Soviet- and Russian-origin nuclear fuel containing highly enriched uranium from Latvia, the U.S. Energy Department announced (see GSN, June 7, 2004).

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Latvian Environment Minister Raimonds Vejonis signed the pact, which provides for repatriation to Russia of fuel from Latvia’s Salaspils research reactor, as well as security enhancement at the site. 

The two nations also agreed to collaborate on improving the protection, control and accountability of Latvian nuclear materials to counter the threat of diversion or theft of the materials.

The reactor was closed in 1998 and is set to be decommissioned (U.S. Energy Department release, April 26).

Russia is prepared to handle the fuel, ITAR-Tass reported today.

“We are ready to accept nuclear fuel from the Salaspils reactor for [processing],” said a spokesman for the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry. “Nuclear fuel from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Libya, Uzbekistan and the Czech Republic has already been brought to Russia within the framework of a joint … program” with the United States and International Atomic Energy Agency (ITAR-Tass, April 27).